Spanish Grand Prix: Starting grid with penalties and pit lane starts applied

McLaren’s Lando Norris will start the Spanish Grand Prix from pole position with Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli alongside him, but how does the grid form up for the final European race of 2026.

Feature image credit: Pirelli

McLaren’s defending world champion put in a surprise lap on Saturday to claim his third pole position of the season, pipping Antonelli by 0.011s. However, there have been changes made down the pit lane behind him, with grid penalties, pit lane starts and impeding infringements.

In qualifying, neither Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll nor Haas’ Oliver Bearman set a lap time on the board.

Stroll didn’t get out due to a suspected water pressure problem, preventing him getting out on track to set a lap time. However, it did not mean much for the Canadian after he took extra power unit components outside of his allocation, meaning he would start the race from the back of the grid, anyway.

Bearman, on the other hand, did not get out for qualifying after he suffered a heavy hit in free practice three. The shunt required a chassis change, and the Briton took more power unit components during Parc Ferme, prompting a pit lane start for the British driver.

Tyre strategies for the Spanish Grand Prix

Despite not setting a lap time, both drivers were permitted to start the race.

It was not a good qualifying performance for the two Spaniards, Williams’s Carlos Sainz and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, with both drivers being knocked out of Q1 in 17th and 18th, respectively.

However, Alonso will be the leading Spaniard on the grid after Sainz was given a grid-penalty for impeding Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas in qualifying. He will drop from 17th to 20th overall

The Starting Grid for the Spanish Grand Prix:

1. Lando Norris, McLaren
2. Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
3. Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
4. Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
5. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
6. George Russell, Mercedes
7. Oscar Piastri, McLaren
8. Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing
9. Franco Colapinto, Alpine
10. Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls
11. Nico Hulkenberg, Audi
12. Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi
13. Esteban Ocon, Haas
14. Pierre Gasly, Alpine
15. Yuki Tsunoda, Racing bulls
16. Alexander Albon, Williams
17. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
18. Sergio Perez, Cadillac
19. Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac
20. Carlos Sainz, Williams
21. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin

Pit Lane Start

• Oliver Bearman

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Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.